US President Donald Trump waves to White House guests as he walks across the South Lawn of the White House prior to boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, on October 7, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

US President Donald Trump has called on the Republican-controlled Congress to finance his promised border wall and step up crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

In a press release on Sunday, the White House declared what it referred to as new “immigration principles and policies.”

The Trump administration claimed a wall on the Mexican border would help reduce human and drug trafficking.

“Success of border walls are undeniable from the perspective of their operators,” said US Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello.

The plan also aims to limit a merit-based system that limits chain migration to spouses and children, while adopting a tough stance towards unaccompanied minors.

“These loopholes in current law create a dramatic pull factor for additional illegal immigration and in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the apprehensions of UACs at our southern border. Therefore, the Administration proposes amending current law to ensure the expeditious return of UACs and family units,” read the press release.

The administration also criticized sanctuary states demanding punishment for the “states and localities that refuse to cooperate with Federal authorities.”

In a statement following the announcement of the proposal, the president said, “These findings outline reforms that must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.”

“Without these reforms, illegal immigration and chain migration, which severely and unfairly burden American workers and taxpayers, will continue without end.”

The Obama-era program was supposed to offer protection to young undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.